


All the Pretty Little Ponies

by Volavi



Series: The Last of the Duke Street Kings [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Classic Cars, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Nausea, Sexually suggestive banter, Trans Character, Trans Dick Grayson, Trans!Dick, Vomiting, brief mention of weight loss, ftm dick grayson, swear words and cussing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-06-17 11:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15460236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Volavi/pseuds/Volavi
Summary: Jason has plans for Dick's birthday. Dick just hopes he feels well enough to leave the bedroom. And he's highly suspicious of what Jason has planned with that blindfold.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a happy, fluffy, cute little story before the angst I have planned for Dick and Jason later in this series. And, oh, yeah, I turned "Fresh As A Bright Blue Sky" into a series. 
> 
> Warnings: Dick has morning sickness, so you know what that means, though I tried not to be too graphic. Dick is FTM trans, this is a wanted and planned pregnancy, and he has no dysphoria in this fic.

Dick gives the blindfold Jason just handed him a dubious look from his curled-up position on the bed. “I’m not sure I’m up to that kind of thing right now, babe.”

“It’s not that kind of blindfold.”

“Actually, this is the exact blindfold that we used on Valentine’s Day, which is when this probably happened,” Dick waves a hand holding a saltine cracker in a vague pattern indicating his stomach area, “and therefore I’m blaming it for how shitty I feel.”

“Okay, okay, it might be the same, but the use I have planned is totally different. And I’m not sure you can blame the blindfold for this.” Jason points to the saltine crackers, ginger ale, mint tea and lemon water on the nightstand with a frown. “I’m more than willing to take full responsibility. Sorry you’re feeling so rough, especially on your birthday.” 

Dick softens. “I’m not mad at you. I knew what I was in for; I’m just grumpy and tired. Just give me, um, half an hour maybe, and then you can have your wicked way with me.”

Jason chuckles, low and sinful. “I already told you, that’s not what I had in mind, but I am open to requests.”

Dick sits up, grinning. “That sounds intriguing. I think I’ll be --” but before he can finish his sentence, a wave of nausea, probably from sitting too quickly, takes over and he rushes to the bathroom.

Jason follows. “Maybe an hour would be better.” He turns the water on. “Let’s wait until you feel better. No rush.”

Dick leans over the toilet for a few minutes, while Jason holds a cool damp washcloth on the back of his neck, before straightening. “False alarm. Probably nothing left in my stomach anyway.” 

“Go back to sleep. The surprise can wait.”

"Keep me company?" Dick asks as he crawls back in bed.

"Of course," Jason says and curls around Dick, stroking his hair. "Happy birthday, babe.”

Dick wakes up for the second time of the day feeling better, and Jason gives him a bowl of dry cereal and fresh ginger ale to seal the deal. Unfortunately, Dick had realized the other day that mlik, no matter how fresh, smelled off to him. So dry cereal it was. Jason told him to take time to get showered and dressed.

"What should I wear? Are we going anywhere that I need specific clothes for?"

"Nope, not leaving the house, so whatever is fine. I just don't want to take pictures of you in those if you don't want me to." Jason indicates the ancient pair of sweatpants slung low on Dick's hips and the threadbare t shirt that used to be Jason's that Dick stole to use as pajamas.

Dick pulls on decent jeans and a favorite blue v-neck tee shirt as he talks. "Now I'm very curious. You want me to get dressed but say that we're not leaving. You realize that if all of this is just because you forgot to wrap my present, and it's an elaborate ruse so I don't notice, I've already seen through your devious scheme."

Jason laughs. "No, forgetting to wrap birthday presents is your thing, not mine. Are you ready for me to put this on you?"

"Okay, little wing. I'm ready to do the blindfold thing as I'll ever be."

Dick stands still while Jason puts the blindfold around his eyes, double checks that it is truly obscuring Dick's vision, and takes his hand. He puts Dick's hand comfortably on his elbow and leads him out of the bedroom and through their penthouse apartment.

"I'm not really sure what the point is. I know our way around the apartment. Let me guess. This is the hallway."

"You're not going to trick me into monologuing about my master plans, pretty bird, so stop trying with your back chat. I know all of your Robin tricks."

Dick chuckles. "You just opened the door. I thought you said that we're not leaving the apartment."

"I said that we're not leaving house, which includes the whole building. Pay more attention to details, Dick."

"That’s just semantics, and you know it, and I'm not wearing shoes."

"Don't worry! I've got you." Jason assists Dick into his boots.

"Now we're in the elevator." This is their private elevator - no one else could use it unless they had pre-programmed access. Dick waits to see if the elevator is going to go up, to the special rooftop access, or down. The elevator heads down, which doesn’t tell him much - they could be visiting one of their friends on the other floors, or maybe even heading to the main floor lobby which had various rooms to use, or the underground parking lot where they kept their civilian vehicles. Or even lower, below the regular garage, where they have their own version of the bat cave. Dick stops trying to distract Jason with chatter while he waits to see how long they descend for. It's harder to keep track of than he expected, without any dings. 

Still, after the descent seemed to go on forever, he ventures, "We must to be going to the bunker."

Jason leans even closer to Dick, whispering right into his ear. "You guessed it."

Jason's breath is warm and soft against Dick's chin, and he shifts a bit. "You're sure we're on the same page for what kind of blindfold this is?"

"Yes, I am." 

"Then you whispered in my ear just to tease me, because there is no one else around to hear us."

"Yes I did." Jason's voice is low and dangerous again. Dick squirms ever so slightly, his hand still on Jason's arm.

"You're a terrible person and I hate you."

"I am but you don't," Jason says.

"Stop it. You're a good person."

"Joking!" Jason protests.

The elevator finally dings and Jason guides Dick out, turns right along the walkway, and down the ramp. As they move through the bunker, Dick mentally crosses out places that could be their final destination. They pass the computer area, the med area, the gymnastics equipment. If he'd wanted to go to the locker room or the lab, he would have turned left. Unless Jason is going to lead him in circles. Dick wouldn't put it past him at all.

Finally Jason stops in what Dick is pretty sure is the garage, and a whiff of oil and rubber tires confirms it. A rather strong whiff - Dick wrinkles his nose. Superstrong pregnancy smell has not been exactly a boon so far.

"Okay, we're here. Are you ready babe?" Jason asks.

"I'm more than ready. If you take any longer, I'm going to need to pee again."

"How romantic. Okay, keep your eyes closed until I say open."

"Alright, alright." DIck feels Jason's fingers work at the knot of the blindfold, his calluses briefly sticking in Dick's soft hair, and then eases it off.

The lights of the bunker seem bright even through his eyelids, and Jason waits for a few moments before saying, "Open your eyes!"

Dick looks, and blinks, and looks again. His vision is blurry and the lights still seem too bright, with afterimages flitting across his retina. But he's pretty sure that he sees a car that wasn't there before. A bright blue - Nightwing blue - car.

Dick turns to look at Jason full in the face.

He looks closer, recognizing the aggressive hood and classic lines of the car.

"Jason, tell me that's not a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 in the garage."

Jason laughs, full and delighted. It's a free, expansive kind of laugh that Dick hears so rarely and treasures all the more for its scarcity. God, he must be doing something right though, since he's heard it twice now in less than a month. Just now, and when he told Jason that they were having a baby.

"Okay, okay, that’s not a ‘69 Mustang in our garage."

Dick punches Jason in the arm and heads towards the car. The beautiful, half a century old embodiment of the muscle car phenomenon, Detroit engineering, and the quest for speed. Just looking at it makes Dick feel the promise of freedom and the lure of the open road. And nothing sounded quite the same as a classic pony. Jason had done a fabulous job picking the colors - the body was an electric blue, in a shimmering pearlescent coat, with a metallic black accent line running across each side, meeting on the hood in a dramatic vee. 

He runs his hands along the car. "This paint job is amazing. It's exactly matches my uniform, plus it sparkles! It's gotta be a custom job. How long have you been working on this?"

Dick glances back when he finishes his question to see Jason answer. Jason blushes a bit, just his ears. "A while now."

Dick raises one eyebrow. "Just a while?"

"A long while, I guess. I wanted the right car, and I wanted it to be the right kind of project. Not too involved, nothing too heavy, but enough to give you a hobby for a while. And I got it painted by Ramone's out west - they're the best in the . . ."

Dick couldn't help but interrupt. "They're the best in the whole damn country, Jason. I can't believe it."

"So you like it?"

"I fucking love it. Thank you so much."

Jason's flush spreads from his ears to his cheeks. Dick grins back at his husband before turning to admire the car. "But if you said you've been working on this for months, and it must have taken a while for even Ramone's to do this amazing paint job, you've been planning this" - he points to the Mustang - "for much longer than we've known about this" and gestures towards his body. "Before you knew for sure that I would need something to occupy my time once I stopped patrolling."

"I think I started both projects around the same time," Jason admits with a sly little grin. "I wasn't sure what would come through first, but yeah, I wanted the car for your birthday."

"Your timing is perfect."

"I am pretty damned pleased with how it turned out, I have to say," Jason says.

"You should be. This is amazing."

"You haven't seen everything yet." Jason tosses Dick the keys, which he catches easily in one hand. The first thing that Dick does is to pop the trunk. The engine obviously needs work. It's clean, but old and not in the best shape, so Jason was right about the car being a fixer upper. 

"Does it run?"

"Yeah, it does, but not super well. Go ahead and get in."

Dick practically sprints to the front passenger door and hops into the car, appreciating the fine black leather on the racing seats. The seats have been replaced with totally new custom ones.

Only slightly slower than Dick, Jason joins Dick in the passenger seat. "I hope you like the color of the leather that I picked out. I was worried about it, a little, but I knew that I had to replace the seats for safety reasons. If you're going to be driving this to the store, I want the best seatbelts."

"You did a great job." 

Dick grips the steering wheel like he's driving, grabs the stick, settles back into the seat.

Jason chuckles. "Any second now you're going to start making vrum vrum noises."

"I am not!" Dick says. It's true. But only because Jason called him out on it before he could start.

"All of the gadgets and in dash dials will need to be replaced or updated, but I'm sure that's something you'll want to do anyway. Maybe even get the demonspawn to help."

"Don't call him that," Dick says out of reflex, even while thinking how well Jason knew Dick and the rest of the family to know that it's exactly the kind of thing that Damian would enjoy doing with DIck.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jason grumbles but he’s hiding a smile in his eyes.

"Have I said thank you?” Dick asks. “Because seriously. I think this is the best birthday present anyone has ever gotten me."

"You have, but you're welcome. That is saying a lot coming from someone who got a Ferrari for their 16th birthday. And another one for their 21st since someone crashed the first one."

"That someone is you! You crashed my Ferrari, and you didn't even have a license yet!"

Jason gives Dick a rueful grin. "Yeah, I did wreck it. Still not sorry though - that was one of the best joy rides of my freaking life."

Dick grins back. "At least it wasn't the Batmobile."

"Yeah, I heard those stories about Tim and Damian." Jason reaches over and squeezes Dick's hand on the stick. "But back to this car, there's still something that you haven't seen."

"What is it?" Dick is bewildered. He's already so overwhelmed with the thought, time and effort that went into this gift, the personalization, that he can't imagine anything else. He narrows his eyes at Jason.

"I don't have it! Don't look at me. Look around."

Dick glances around. There is nothing weird in the front seats, or on the dash. He checks the glove box, but nothing’s there. He looks around outside of the car before turning to check the small seat in the back.

There's an infant car seat strapped in.

"What is that?"

"Do you need me to tell you that it's not a baby seat, because if so, I'm a little worried."

"I know what it is! But I'm shocked that it fits!" And amazed that Jason had gone to the extra steps of buying one, making sure that it fit and installing it.

"That's part of the reason why I had to get new seats, to make sure that we could install one of these properly. And safely."

Dick feels his eyes fill with tears. He tries to blink them away. He is entirely positive that pregnancy hormones are 100% to blame. At least, that’s what he’s telling himself. 

"So what would you have done with the seat if . . . ?"

"I just wouldn't have put it in here yet, if you weren't pregnant. But I'm glad it worked out this way."

"I'm glad too." Dick leans over and slides his arms around Jason. Jason immediately responds, tilting his body toward Dick and sliding a hand around the back of Dick's neck. Dick tries to put all of his gratitude, all of his overwhelming feelings of awe and amazement and just pure happiness, into the kiss. Based on the enthusiasm it is returned by, Dick thinks at least some of his message got through.

"I love you, Goldie. Happy birthday."

"I love you too, little wing."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! This took longer to wrangle into shape than I thought it would. Same warnings apply - mainly nausea and vomiting, nothing too explicit but it does happen. Poor Dick.

“Do you think I could cancel?” Dick asks, only half-joking, jingling the keys in his hands but making no move to open the car door. They’d spent most of the day working on the Mustang, apart from an afternoon nap, and had decided that while it would need an entire new engine sooner rather than later, it was safe enough to drive to the Manor and back. Show it off a bit before Dick gets it up on the lifts and starts taking it apart. 

“If you miss your own birthday, you better have a pretty ironclad excuse.”

“I could say I’m sick?”

“If you of all people say you’re too sick to go to your own party, you’re going to have Alfred and probably Bruce here in thirty minutes with a thermometer.”

Dick chuckles. “Probably Damian too.”

Jason switches to an unerring imitation of Damian’s voice, slight accent and all. “Grayson, I demand to know which proletarian germ has vanquished your laughably ineffective immune system so that I may annihilate it with medically necessary cuddles.”

“As tempting as medically necessary cuddles sound, I don’t think I can handle Damian, Alfred, and Bruce in our home tonight. So I guess I have to go to the Manor for the party.” 

“I should be the only one giving you cuddles.” Jason glowers, and Dick isn’t sure if Jason is entirely joking or not.

“Stop being such a neanderthal.”

“That’s very ice age-ist of you.”

Dick rolls his eyes. “Get in the car.”

The car provides plenty of distraction from Dick himself, which he is grateful for. He looks like shit - pale under his natural golden skin tone and with bags under his eyes. Pregnancy glow my ass. Dick looks he’s coming down with the flu.

Still, wandering around the Manor with a small plate of canapes and orange juice in a champagne flute (luckily no one raises an eyebrow at the non-alcoholic choice, since Dick rarely drinks anyway, and definitely not on nights when he’ll be patrolling later), Dick ends up having fun. Since many of the guests will be showing up and leaving at random times depending on their own schedules (and timing of disasters for the superhero guests), Dick had been able to convince Alfred that a casual, open-house style cocktail party with lots of finger food was a better idea than a full sit down meal. He hadn’t even known that he’d be pregnant on his birthday when they started planning this a couple of months ago. Now he’s very grateful - a full on formal dinner party with multiple courses with him as the guest of honor would probably result in him having the secret outed before they even had their very first prenatal appointment, as everyone stared at him as he pushed the food around his plate, unable to eat, or worse, a dramatic flight to the nearest bathroom.

Dick had done research, before he and Jason had started trying for a baby, so he hadn’t been surprised by the fact that morning sickness wasn’t actually just confined to the morning. And yet he had still been taken by surprise by how soon in the pregnancy he’d started feeling queasy - he’d even been sick before he’d taken a pregnancy test - and how debilitating the constant nausea was. Plans to keep this a secret until he stopped patrolling seemed a little more far fetched now than they had when it was purely theoretical, and he’d been confident that he’d be able to power through all the symptoms, mind over matter. Turns out the reality wasn't quite that straightforward or easily managed.

Walking between the three different rooms Alfred has designated for the party, chatting to his friends and family, Dick feels comfortable. He can keep moving, sit when he wants to, stand when he wants to, select only the food from the buffet that seems good at the moment, and avoid getting into any long conversations. 

Jason stayed close to Dick for the first hour or so, which is useful because Dick found that the stuffed mushrooms, usually one of his favorite foods, taste horrible to him tonight. He surreptitiously passes them over to Jason's plate, and Jason raises a single eyebrow but eats them without comment. Eventually, though, Jason gets antsy in the Manor and heads outside. 

Dick spares a thought to wonder if Jason is regretting giving up cigarettes, but decides not to follow him. He spies Roy in the corner of the room, though, and heads over to him.

"Hey, Jason just headed outside. Can you follow him just to make sure he's okay? Maybe ask him to show you the new car?"

Roy gives Dick a half smirk/half smile. "Sure, no problem. I wanted to see it anyway."

"Thanks, man."

Roy turns around with a small wave, and Dick decides to find Donna. She should be here by now, and Dick hasn't had a chance to catch up yet.

The next hour or so passes enjoyably enough, so much so that Dick doesn't even realize how much time has passed until Alfred pops up next to his elbow. 

"Have you seen Master Bruce or Master Jason recently? It's almost time to cut the cake and sing, but I can't seem to find either of them."

Cake sounds damn good right now. And ice cream. Alfred always makes at least two flavors, and with this many people he's probably made three. Would it be weird if Dick had a slice of every kind? 

"Master Dick?"

Dick realizes that he is salivating so much over the thoughts of the cake that he is blanking on the present. "Sorry. Um, last time I saw Jason he was heading outside. I bet I know where he is."

"Brilliant. You look for him and I'll locate Master Bruce."

"Sounds like a plan," Dick says with a smile for Alfred and walks to the garage. But neither Jason nor Roy are around, so Dick wanders around the grounds to check out some of Jason's favorite spots.

He's approaching one of the back porches when he hears Jason's deep voice, too far away to make out words but Dick would recognize that baritone anywhere. He takes a few steps forward, pausing when Bruce's voice answers. He's still far enough away that he doubts either are aware of his presence, despite their Bat-training. With the wind blowing toward him, and his naturally silent footsteps, he has the advantage. Dick moves to a spot where he should be able to hear what they're saying while remaining unobserved.

He can't really say what is making him eavesdrop - and he can call it what it is, eavesdropping - except that he knows that Jason and Bruce's relationship is still strained, despite the detente they've been operating under since Dick forced Bruce to acknowledge that Dick and Jason were serious. Through the years of their dating, engagement, and now marriage, the wounds between Jason and Bruce had been plastered over, but were neither forgotten nor forgiven.

" . . . and then Dick and I replaced the brakes this afternoon, but you didn't drag me out here to talk about cars," Jason is saying.

Awkward pause, and then Bruce says, "No, I didn't." More strained silence, and then, "I just wanted to know why you two are lying to me and everyone else."

Jason splutters, and even in the dark Dick sees his arms gesticulate wildly. "Lying? Where did that come from, old man?"

"Dick is pregnant." Dick frowns in the dark. Having the world’s greatest detective as a father had its downsides.

"What?!"

"Do you try to deny it then?"

"I know Alfred raised you right. You can’t just walk around saying people are pregnant. It’s bad manners. And you’re being kind of a creepy stalker, too. What even makes you say that?" Dick bites his lip to keep from laughing. 

"I saw him put his mushrooms on your plate." Darn. Dick thought he’d been subtle enough that no one would notice. 

"That's it?" Jason scoffs. "Rather big extrapolation just from that, don't you think?" Jason's voice is acidic, dripping with derision.

"You've also barely left his side during patrol for approximately the last eighteen days. Nightwing is also behaving more cautiously in the field. He looks ill but neither of you have mentioned any sickness, and he's holding himself differently. I also think he's lost weight, though only a couple of pounds."

"What? He's lost weight? Dick didn't tell me that," Jason grouses and Dick winces, even though no one can see him. Damn. He'd been hoping that no one would notice until he's had a chance to see his doctor and make sure that everything is okay, though everything in the books and websites say such a slight amount is not a danger. 

"So it is true." Bruce's tone of voice makes it a statement, not a question.

"Yes, it's true. I'm not going to deny it. Which makes your whole tirade about us lying seem a bit much, even for you, Bat Ears."

"Why didn't you tell me? As Batman, this is something I deserve to know."

"Well, as Grandpa, you are supposed to wait until you're told, which is totally our prerogative and none of your damn business. Dick hasn't even been to his first doctor's appointment, that's how early it still is, so you're going to forget everything you've Sherlocked, and pretend to be surprised when Dick officially tells you, because he's looking forward to seeing your face, though honestly I have no idea why he wants to."

Dick feels such a rush of affection for Jason, so fierce and loyal. It's enough to erase his irritation at Bruce guessing about the pregnancy. Almost. There's a flash of guilt for eavesdropping, and Dick decides that he is going to head back as soon as he hears Bruce's response. 

"I do not want him being in the field in his condition," Bruce informs Jason, conveniently sidestepping all of Jason's accusations. Uh oh. Maybe instead of leaving, Dick should interrupt them. 

"Again, none of your business. He’s not your subordinate anymore, and I sure as hell don’t take orders from you,” Jason snaps, bristling. Then he heaves a sigh. “I kind of agree with you, though.”

Any thought of intervening disappears as Dick fumes at Jason’s statement. Jason has not said anything of the sort to Dick. He decides to stay in case Jason lets anything else slip. 

"You know I'm still not comfortable with your relationship."

"You know neither one of us gives a shit about that, but if you're mad because you've been secretly hoping that we were going to break up and now that there’s going to be a baby, we’re going to be linked together forever. What’s worse, your precious golden boy’s DNA is going to be corrupted with mine. And I’m not sorry. I’m happy. This is the happiest I’ve ever been, and you’re not going to ruin it for me. For us.”

Dick is stupidly in love with this man. He’s heard enough, especially since there’s a good chance Bruce, Jason or both will storm off at this point and Dick doesn’t want to be caught. He begins to retreat, careful to remain silent, when Bruce’s voice, plaintive and unsure for the first time in the conversation, floats through the dark. “Can I pay for a nursery?”

Jason’s voice is rough with a mix of anger and humor. “God damn it, Bruce.”

 

****

 

Two days after Dick's birthday, he’s already in a bit of a mood because he spent the first hour of the day either vomiting in the toilet or lying dramatically on the floor trying not to vomit. By the time he showers, he’s already tired enough that a nap seems very appealing. But pregnant or not, he can’t sleep all day, so he grabs his favorite pair of skinny jeans and a button down short sleeve shirt. 

The jeans won’t zip. 

It’s not even like he has a bump, even a tiny one. It’s more like his waist is just a bit thicker and his lower abdomen looks bloated. He kicks them off and puts on a pair of sweatpants, not even caring that they don’t really work with the shirt. He’ll deal with all of that later.

Then he has to negotiate with Jason over what he’ll eat for breakfast. Jason wants to make eggs and bacon, but as soon as the food hits the hot pan, the cooking odors nearly drive Dick to the bathroom again. He grabs an orange and retreats.

“You need to eat, Goldie,” Jason calls from the stove while Dick lurks near the open window.

“That’s a vicious lie.”

“It is not and you know it - so what else can I make?” 

“How about just toast? With Marmite?” Growing up, Alfred had introduced both of them to Marmite, and they both liked it enough to keep a jar around. 

Jason narrows his eyes at Dick. “How about some bacon?” 

Dick wrinkles his nose. Maybe the bacon would be okay, but it would need something else. “Do we have any cereal?”

Jason’s about to reply when his Outlaws communicator buzzes. He mutters, “We’re not done yet,” but slides the device out of his pocket with a sigh. “Hey, Roy, I hope this is an emergency because this is not a good time.”

Dick has an idea to make the bacon more appealing, so he puts it in his bowl, and covers it with Crocky Crunch but not milk. After a moment of consideration, Dick adds some orange segments and then a generous dollop of Marmite. Jason rolls his eyes but doesn’t protest. Probably too distracted by the call.

“Yeah, that’s not good,” Jason says into the comm.

Dick starts to eat, not bothering to hide the fact that he’s listening in. If Jason wanted privacy, he would have left the room. He wants Dick to hear his side of the call at least.

“Fuck, man. You gotta be kidding me.”

Dick keeps eating, hoping nothing is too serious. Jason’s darkening expression doesn’t bode well, though. 

Dick’s done with breakfast by the time Jason finishes the call with, “Okay, Roy. Let me just talk to Dick and I’ll call you back.” Jason slides into the chair next to Dick and scrubs his face with his hands.

“What’s up?” Dick asks when Jason doesn’t say anything for a couple of minutes. 

“Okay, first of all, Dick, honey, what the fuck did you just eat?”

“You told me I shouldn’t skip breakfast, so now you’re annoyed I listened to you?” Dick jokes.

Jason shakes his head. “I’m not going to win this one, am I?”

“Nope. Now what did Roy have to say? Sounded bad. Either he forgot that he he agreed to chaperone Lian’s field trip to the science museum or it’s the end of the world.”

“The latter. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to leave for about a week.” Jason heaves a sigh. “Long story short, fate of another world, emergency mission, not the kind of thing the Justice League can handle.”

“I get it. I’ll be fine.” 

“You’ll have to go to your first appointment alone,” Jason says, glowering.

“There will be plenty more appointments for you to attend. I’m sad that you’ll miss the first ultrasound but they’ll be plenty of other doctors’ visits.”

Dick says that he isn't upset. He isn't. (He kinda is.) But he knows that this is part of the life that they lead, that they have chosen to lead, and ultimately, no matter how special the first ultrasound might be to the two of them, it in no way compares to the suffering of another planet.

And it's not like they can tell Roy or Kori the real reason Jason is a bit reluctant to go. The secret would last all of two seconds, and their immediate family (not counting Bruce, the nosy bastard) would be understandably hurt by hearing the news through rumors instead of told first, face to face.

“I hate to leave right now. I can maybe call Roy and come up with an excuse.”

"Don’t do that. I’m fine. Don't worry about me," Dick says, putting on his best smile.

“But I am worried about you, and you can say you’re fine all day long, but I know you’ve been having it rough.”

“I’m pregnant, not dying.”

“You’re exhausted, and puking all the time. At least, can you not patrol while I’m gone?”

Dick opens his mouth to protest, remembers what he overheard the other night, and shuts it again. Jason has a point. Snuggling up in a fuzzy blanket and resting on the couch instead of patrolling sounds amazing. “Okay, I’ll take the week off. Will that help?”

Jason nods. "Yes, it will. Thanks, babe.”

“You look doubtful. What’s up?”

“It's just that I . . ." Jason grows quiet, clearly uncomfortable or unable to put his thoughts into words. "I don't want to sound like a selfish asshole, but, you know."

"You don't want to miss it, any more than I want to see it on my own, without you. And it's worse for you, because I'll get to see the baby first."

"Yeah," Jason admits, a bit sheepishly.

"Hey, don't feel ashamed. It sucks and it's okay to admit that it sucks. I’ll get copies of everything and you can watch them as soon as soon as you get back. I know it’s not the same thing, but it’ll still be special.”

Jason gives out a gutsy sigh. “Thanks. I’ll give Roy a call back and make plans to meet up. As soon as you explain what you just ate.”

“What? Bacon - I need the calories right now and it’s good protein. Cereal makes everything tasty. The orange has vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin A, calcium and potassium.”

“What about Marmite?”

“Folic acid,” Dick announces triumphantly. 

“There are pills for that. You don’t need to put it on your oranges.”

“Jason Todd. If you continue to make fun of Marmite, I will tell Alfred that you are disrespecting his homeland.”

“I take it back!” Jason raises his hands in surrender. “I’m calling Roy now, but this baby better be cute.”

Dick snorts. “Course it’s going to be cute. It has a very cute father.” Jason grins at Dick’s words. “Meaning me, obviously,” Dick finishes. He sweeps out of the room before Jason can think of a comeback. 

**** 

Jason’s been gone for three days and Dick hasn’t heard from him, not that he expected to. Once the Outlaws’ spaceship jumps out of the solar system, normal communications don’t work. Dick could contact them via the Justice League if an emergency came up, but not just to chat. 

Dick had told Bruce that he had a bad concussion and Leslie had benched him for at least a week. Bruce just grunted, but Dick is fluent in Bruce grunts, so he translated it as ‘I’ll accept the obvious lie for now and cover for you, but I know that you know that I know what this is really about.’ Whatever. Dick will take it for now. 

Dick volunteers at a community center. He loves his job, but while he normally finds spending times with the kids and young adults energizing, today he found it utterly exhausting. He staggers to the couch, barely taking the time to kick off his shoes, before face-planting into the soft surface. He turns on the television, because he is lying to himself and he knows it, but if he turns it on he can tell himself that he’s watching a show and not taking a nap at 5 pm. The sole saving grace is that today wasn’t an office day, which means he was able to wear workout clothes. Dick could kiss whoever invented elastic waist bands. The buttons on most of his normal jeans and trousers are still closing - barely - but it’s uncomfortable, like he’d just had two giant Thanksgiving dinners and then ate a few pies all by himself. 

He knew that not fitting into his normal clothes would happen, but he’s not even eight weeks yet. His appointment is tomorrow, so he can ask if this is normal. Jason wrote a list of questions for Dick to ask on his behalf, so Dick is going to have plenty to talk about . . . 

He falls asleep on the sofa and doesn’t wake until 2 a.m., just long enough to shove a protein bar down and stumble to the bathroom before hauling himself into his real bed. The giant expanse of the king bed stretches out like an endless horizon, empty and cold without Jason’s reassuring bulk dominating his side. Dick grabs Jason’s pillow and cuddles it until he passes out.

The next day, Dick gets home from his appointment, missing Jason more than he thought he would. And with a pang that’s deep in his gut, he misses his mom. He needs someone to share this moment with, and even if Bruce officially knew about the pregnancy, it’s not like B is a touchy feely kind of guy. Mary Grayson would be so thrilled to be a grandmother, and she’d give Dick the biggest hug, pulling him close, stroking his hair. John would join them, wrapping his strong arms around both of them.

Dick jolts when it hits him - he’s taller than both his parents now. 

He swipes the wetness from his eyes with his forearm. There are too many emotions to sort through, each fighting for dominance. His stomach churns. 

His fingers shake as he takes the ultrasound photo out of his wallet, examines it, then reverently puts it back.

It’s real now. 

He rushes to the bathroom to throw up. Morning sickness means that emotional moments will have to wait. As a distraction technique, Dick thinks it sucks. 

 

****

 

Finally, nine days after leaving, Jason calls to let Dick know that they’re back in Earth orbit. The mission is over, went well, and he’ll be back in two hours. Dick can barely stand the anticipation of waiting for Jason to get home. All of Dick's meditation techniques, distractions, games and television can't keep him occupied.

He meets Jason at the door with a passionate kiss, Jason's arms coming up around his waist, pulling him close. Dick rises onto his tiptoes to get the best angle and explores Jason's mouth with his tongue until they are both gasping.

Eventually they break the kiss and Jason rumbles a low laugh. "I missed you too, Goldie. I haven't even put my bag down yet."

Dick steps back just enough to let Jason drop his bag on the floor. "Are you tired? Want something to drink or eat?"

Jason shakes his head impatiently. "That all can wait. I really want to know how the appointment went."

"I already told you on the phone that everything is fine - healthy and perfect."

Jason gives a grin of relief mixed with joy. "I know you did, but it feels good to hear that in person. Do you have pictures?"

"Yes, I do, but I bought you a present that I want to show you first."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to. It's in the garage though - do you want to go down now or wait a bit first? Have a snack?"

"Well, if I have to get the present before I can see the ultrasound picture, I goddamn want to get the present now."

Dick chuckles. "So impatient! Now you have to go back the way that you came though."

They head back down to the sub-basement, and Dick leads Jason to the Mustang. Jay shoots Dick a questioning look. "Regifting it back to me already?"

"Nope, it's still mine and I'm keeping it forever. Look closer."

Jason cocks his head at Dick but takes a few steps towards the car, still holding on to Dick's hand. Jason's grip quivers the moment Jason notices what Dick wanted him to see.

"Dickie." His voices cracks just a tiny bit. He clears his throat and starts again. "Dickie, why are there two car seats in the back?"

Dick grins - a big, stupid, cheesy grin. "Two car seats for two babies."

Jason spins to stare straight at Dick. "Two? Two babies?"

Dick can't stop the stupid grin even if he wanted to, which he doesn't. "Yep. Twins." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the print out of the ultrasound. "Here you go. Proof."

Jason lets go of so that he can take the flimsy piece of photographic paper with both trembling hands and holds the pic up to examine it closely. "Oh my god. There's really two. I can see two . . . well, they look like gummy bears with giant heads."

Dick throws his head back and laughs. "You’re not wrong, but yes. There's two."

Jason's face is a contrast of emotions - fear, job, worry, transcendent happiness. "How are you not freaking out?"

Dick laughs. "I am freaking out a bit on the inside. And you should have seen me that first day. But I think this is a good thing. I mean, I couldn't believe it at first when the doctor told me, even though I could see it with my own eyes. But then the more she explained things, it all made sense. Twins means a higher level of pregnancy hormones, so that could be why I've been so tired and sick."

"So is it more dangerous for you?" Jason asks, and of course that is where his mind goes right away.

"A little bit higher chance of complications, but really not bad. It’s okay."

"I'm going to want to know everything."

"I know you are, and I have lots of information for you to read. But right now, everything is okay, I'm fine, both the babies are fine."

"Both the babies. That's going to take some getting used to. Now we're going to have to come up with two names. Buy two cribs. Two of everything. Oh my god. I think I’m freaking out."

"Just breathe." 

Jason puts his hand on Dick's stomach and rubs gently. "It's a bit bigger than it was when I left. And it's hard! I don't think I was expecting that."

"Yeah, none of my jeans zip anymore."

Jason shoots Dick a quizzical look, since he's wearing jeans right now. "Are those new then?"

"Nope. Saw this trick online." Dick pulls up his shirt to reveal a black hair tie looped between the buttonhole and button, keeping the jeans closed but with a gap of an inch or so at the top of the zip. 

Jason chuckles. “We have enough money to buy you a whole new wardrobe if you want.”

“Yeah, actually I wanted to ask about that. Was this last mission with Roy mercenary work?”

“Why?”

“There’s an extra $20,000 in our bank account.”

“That bastard.”

“Who, Roy?”

“No, Bruce.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think of the surprise? 
> 
> Dick's car looks like [this](https://www.mobmasker.com/awesome-car-of-the-year-1967-to-1969-ford-mustang-gt-fastback/1967-to-969-ford-mustang-gt-fastback-17/)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to leap-of-faith for the cheerleading, hand-holding, and talking through plot points for the rest of this fic at 3 am.


End file.
